FROM TIME to time, unhappy persons imagine that they would be better off if Texas pulled out of the U.S.A.

An anonymous writer on the Daily Kos website posted this rant:

“Once again, Texas has decided to invoke its own version of sabre-rattling by threatening to secede from the United States of America. The elected officials cannot abide the federal government setting laws for its people, they would rather have the freedom to set their own standards and laws as Texans see fit.

“Mr. Obama, agree to this secession, and set a time line for it. Two months before the date set, halt all federal aid to Texas. One month before, pull out all Border Agents and FBI, as well as all FDIC banking guarantees. Sell off all FHA-backed mortgages to private companies. Stop all and every form of financial aid the federal government aimed at Texas. To be fair, allow free citizenship rights to any who move from Texas to the United States of America for a full six months.

“BUT THAT’S IT. Call them on their bluff. To be a free-standing country, you need financial and military power - of which they have neither. The UN will not recognize such a new government for quite some time, so the ensuing fits of duly elected officials will be entertainment for a time. And when Texas comes crawling back to the US after dealing individually with the rest of the world, please ensure the language of the rejoining doesn’t include such provisions as it does now.

“Texas is very much like the spoiled child of our republic. Some in that state believe they are entitled to everything the government provides, while refusing to contribute anything but vitriol into our national dialog. Like a spoiled child, a dose of reality will do wonders for the ability of reasoning, and we should not deny them this rite of passage. If they happen to flourish, so be it; in all likelihood they will find the world a much more vast landscape of ideas and tolerances than ever expected.

“PERSONALLY, I’ve had it with one state claiming they know better than all the rest. Let Texas go individually into the real, global world; just be ready to welcome them back (with conditions) when the big, bad globe thinks they’re all nuts.”

Public Policy Polling earlier this year reported that 20 percent of Texans actually want to secede from the U.S. This goes up to 35 percent among Republicans.

But the feeling may now be mutual. In a survey commissioned by BusinessInsider.com in August, Texas ranked first, with 21 percent of the vote, when people were asked “Which state would you like to see kicked out of America?”